


Break of Dawn

by GalaxyAqua



Category: Dangan Ronpa, Dangan Ronpa - All Media Types
Genre: Alternate Universe - Canon Divergence, M/M, Phone Calls & Telephones, Rain, sorry about the really generic tags
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2015-08-28
Updated: 2015-08-28
Packaged: 2018-04-17 16:32:17
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Major Character Death
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,767
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/4673687
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/GalaxyAqua/pseuds/GalaxyAqua
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Sometimes, it's hard to say what we want to say. Sometimes we forget how to.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Break of Dawn

“Makoto, can you hear me?”

It’s 2am, and he’s picked up the phone.

It’s not all that surprising that Byakuya Togami has decided to contact him at such an ungodly hour of the morning, of course. The heir deigned to do whatever he liked, and there was no choice other than to accept it.

Naegi rubs the sleep from his eyes, and nods wearily as an answer to the question. Then he remembers that such an action does not transmit well over the phone. He runs his free hand through thick locks of brown hair.

“Yeah,” he says. “Keep talking.”

It’s so goddamn early in the morning.

“Have you heard?” The question strikes loud in the silence of the room; its presence large and imposing, just as the person who spoke it.

“Heard what?” He asks, crossing his legs under his thick blanket. He wonders where Togami is, right now. He wonders what things are like in Towa. Perhaps that is why he is calling. To brag about success in that downtrodden mess of a city.

“… Never mind.”

The remnants of sleep fade with a blink.

“No, no, tell me.” Naegi insists, as much as he can with the stubborn blond. He’s always careful not to aggravate the heir’s sour temper, after all. “What’s happened?”

Silence falls.

“Nothing,” he hears through the phone eventually, soft as a whisper in the wind.

“Togami,” Naegi presses. “Are you okay?”

“Perfectly fine.”

Distinctly, Naegi hears the sound of rain.

“How’s your mission going?” The brunet has both hands on his phone now, and is straining for a sign of something – anything – that could tell him more about the scion than the other is letting on.

“I sincerely hope you are not intending to start small talk with me.”

A cutting reply. Typical of Togami. Naegi can’t stop himself from smiling. He shouldn’t be so worried; it’s true that there is no-one more capable.

No-one more independent. No-one more indestructible.  

“Good then, I take it?”

“My name is Byakuya Togami.”

The brunet laughs. Naturally the answer to everything.

“I know.”

* * *

The rain is refreshing.

Togami lets the droplets of water drench him through.

On any other occasion, he thinks he may have been inherently disgusted by it. Raw nature, and the filth of it all, dripping down in rivers across his cold cheeks, blurring his vision past all possibility. There are drops on his eyelashes and water trickling down the back of his neck. His clothes stick to his skin, and it really should feel terribly revolting.

The rain should feel terribly revolting.

But there’s a cleansing quality in it that he never noticed before.

Perhaps it’s Naegi’s voice.

“I found your sister.” He says through the receiver.

The sight of determined eyes flashes across his mind.

He didn’t think he’d ever see the day where he trusted Touko Fukawa with anything, but he trusts that she will bring Komaru Naegi back to her older brother soon. That’s the only consolation he has.

* * *

“You found Komaru?!” Naegi nearly shrieks, dropping his phone with a clatter. He retrieves it in a hurry, bursting forth with praise and endless gratefulness – streaming into the heir’s poor ears. He’s almost sorry, but he’s sure at this point that Togami doesn’t mind.

“The person of interest, yes.”

“Is she alright?”

“Yes.”

“They haven’t done anything to her, have they?”

“Not that I can tell.”

“I –” Naegi jumps at the sound of a knock on the door. “I gotta get that, hold on. I’ll call you back, okay?”

Togami doesn't dignify him with a response, so Naegi takes it as an affirmative and ends the call.

With a flurry of newfound energy, the brunet sets the phone on his bedside table and hurries to the door. “Coming!” He cries, shuffling into a pair of slippers before he opens it up.

The door opens a crack, and a suited stranger greets him solemnly.

“Makoto Naegi?” he asks.

“That’s me.”

“I’m from the 14th branch of the Future Foundation, and was recently sent on a field mission,” he continues, and Naegi’s brows crease in concern. “There’s been a slight mishap at Towa. I understand that you were to take charge if the circumstances required?”

“What… mishap?” Naegi is cautious in his questioning, because he wonders how much of the truth he’s being told. Surely, he had been speaking to Togami mere seconds ago. It was highly unlikely that something changed between now and then, right?

“You haven’t heard?”

The familiar statement involuntarily forces him to take a step back. The brunet feels a stone lodge in his throat.

“Haven’t heard what?”

“Our entire team got wiped out. The survivors were captured.”

“Captured…?”

The man shut his eyes, a remorseful expression crossing his face.

“They’re as good as dead, now.”

Naegi slams the door, and scrambles for his phone.

* * *

“Togami?”

_The number you have dialed is currently unavailable._

“Togami, pick up.”

_The number you have dialed is currently –_

“Togami, you’re scaring me, please pick up the phone.”

_The number you have dialed is –_

“This is one of your games, isn’t it? Haha. I lose. You win. Congratulations. Now, please answer me. Please.”

_The number you have dialed –_

“Byakuya Togami, I swear to god, pick up the phone.”

_The number you have –_

“Naegi.”

The brunet jumps, looking around wildly, before his gaze meets that of his intruder.

His heart almost leaps out of his chest before he can stop it, but who greets him with a tight-lipped frown and a stern look is not Byakuya Togami, but Kyouko Kirigiri, who stands at the door with her arms crossed over her chest.

He stares at her blankly for a moment, taking in her emotionless countenance and immediately detecting that something is wrong. It's mere moments before he is dashing over and all but slamming his hands into her shoulders. “Kirigiri, what happened, I don’t – ”

“Naegi, calm down.” She turns her head towards the door which lies ajar, and says, “We think we may have broken through to a contact in Towa. It’s a start, but I’d like you to test it out.”

“No, Kirigiri, I don’t have time, I want to know what happened to our team in Towa; they’re coming back, aren’t they? Tell me they’re coming back.”

“Naegi, don’t lose sight of the bigger picture. We’ve found a landmine, and we’re not going to let it slip through our fingers.”

He wants to protest. He wants to tell her that some things are more important than the bigger picture.

But he knows that first and foremost, he is the figurehead of hope restoration. The bigger picture is his responsibility.

The brunet sobers, ready to do whatever he must. Kirigiri nods, once she is satisfied that he isn’t going to lose his mind to his emotions, and leads the way to the control room.

“Remember, our goal is to free the entire world from despair.” She recites, but it’s sarcastically put, so Naegi finds a little comfort in that in she is just as afflicted as he is over the entire happenings at Towa.

“Okay,” he says. He follows her with nothing but dread seeping into every bone in his body.

* * *

 

“Hello? Can you hear me?”

That voice.

“I can hear you.”

“Can you hear me?”

“I can.”

“Please respond if you can hear me.”

“I can hear you. This is the Future Foundation, 14th division. Makoto Naegi speaking.”

“… big brother?!”

“Komaru?!”

* * *

 

She is safe, Fukawa had said with certainty. Komaru, in a flood of tears, had agreed, and told him not to worry. 

 _He_ is safe, Fukawa had said with a little less certainty.

Captured, but safe.

Naegi calls one last time.

“Togami? Can you hear me?”

The fog clears.

“… Yes, Naegi. What do you want?”

His hands are trembling.

“You scared me so much – I can’t believe you! Why didn’t you pick up when I called you earlier?”

“I was preoccupied.”

It doesn’t sound right. It couldn’t be right. Why didn’t he realize?

“Preoccupied with what? What could possibly be that important?”

Naegi should have caught on as soon as the first call came through.

“Nothing that concerns you.”

Togami never called him before. He never called. Not once.

Why did he call that time?

“Togami, please tell me honestly that you’re okay.”

“There is no reason to.”

Why did he call?

“ _Byakuya.”_

“I’m okay.”

Why did he?

“When are you coming home?”

Naegi closes his eyes.

All that he hears is the sound of merciless rain pounding down.

...

..

.

Togami hangs up.

Naegi looks at the phone with disbelief, staring at the screen blaring ‘call ended’ with displeasure on his tongue and blatant worry in his expression.

He resists the urge to call back, giving himself a moment to compose himself before seeking further action.

Then, it happens.

_You have received (1) new audio file._

He doesn’t hesitate to press play.

Someone begins to speak.

* * *

_I’m sorry I lied._

_This is disgraceful._

_To myself. To my name._

_To the Future Foundation._

_To you._

_..._

_It’s shameful that I can’t even say this to your face._

_You know how much I hate cowardice, and this is the very epitome of it._

_But you may as well know the truth._

_I’m not going to make it, Makoto._

_… I suppose now you’re expecting me to reveal my secrets, aren’t you?_

_Is that the rightful thing to do in death?_

_Well, it’s commoner’s practice… so you’re out of luck._

_… ironically._

_I will, however, tell you one thing._

_You’re decent._

_… and don’t cry for me._

_I don’t…_

_…_

_Of all the people, I didn’t expect the last person I’d be talking to is someone like you._

_You should have to pay for wasting my valuable time._

_…_

_… take care, Makoto._

* * *

Naegi clutches the phone tight in his hand.

The audio stops playing.

When did Togami record this…?

Was it when he didn’t pick up the phone…?

His fingers curl around the phone tighter, and tighter, as if letting go would serve only to shatter him to pieces.

A tear falls.

And all the others follow.

They just won't stop.

His chest heaves.

How is it that he can't even be strong for the strongest man he's ever known?

He takes a deep breath.

Naegi presses ‘record’.

* * *

_Byakuya,_

_I should be telling you that._

_It’s... impossible, but I wish you were here. Right here._

_To talk to me just like this._

_You're not a disgrace._

_You're only human._

_See, I'm crying, even though you told me not to._

_I'm just as human as you are._

_I love you._

_Rest in peace._

* * *

...

..

.

He never gets a reply.


End file.
